


Since You've Been Gone

by bloodrunsred



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Angst, Adrien Agreste Needs Help, Adrien Agreste Needs Love, Adrien Agreste Needs a Hug, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Angst and Feels, Anxiety, Bonding, Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, Hurt Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Insecurity, Mental Anguish, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Nicknames, Not Actually Unrequited Love, OTP Feels, Oblivious Adrien Agreste, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Partner Betrayal, Poor Adrien, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protect Adrien Agreste, Psychologists & Psychiatrists, Recovery, References to Depression, Sad, Whump, cynical adrien, marinette needs a hug, stressed marinette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-04-13 14:59:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14114847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodrunsred/pseuds/bloodrunsred
Summary: He left her, and they were all the worse for it.





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> first fic, so exciting :D my siblings roped me into miraculous and this is how I'm showing my love <3 very short prologue, but ill jump into the story feet first in the actual first chapter so I wanted to prepare yall

It had been six years since Ladybug had been alongside her kitty.

Six years since Hawkmoth had been defeated, and his identity revealed.

Gabriel Agreste.

The news had shocked the world, every major news channel worldwide desperate for the scoop. Marinette had only been fourteen at the time, scared but willing to fight their greatest enemy, for the good and safety of her city, of her friends and family.

He was so _strong_ though, knocking them both down, time after time, lunging for their miraculouses like a feral hunter would its prey. He fought tirelessly, bringing the battle to the streets where Ladybug and Chat Noir would have to watch out for the safety of civilians, control the damage. Hawkmoth called in akumas, slipping away in the chaos they would create, until they found him again.

The Butterfly's War lasted for seven hours and five recharges (three lucky charms and two cataclysms), neither of the infamous duo willing to let the madman escape from them. Marinette could still remember the bubbling fear, the pain and horror she felt as she was struck down protecting civilians,  _children._ Chat had blocked the majority of the swings, of course, always trying to protect her, save her.

_She only wished she could have saved him as well._

The city felt so empty, with all the evacuations leaving not a person in sight, leaving the teens relieved but all the more frightened. No one would be able to see them or save them if anything happened, both of them trusting each other like they couldn't trust themselves.

She had almost died.

She could still feel his cane pressing to her throat, crushing her windpipe as he reached for her spotted studs, killing her for her powers. Marinette would never be able to hate a person more. She had felt so useless, so pathetic, as she choked on her tears, calling and begging for Chat to  _pleasesaveherpleasepleaseplease._

He did, of course.

She would always be able to rely on her minou.

She had been left panting on the cobbled road as he charged, hissing and growling like a wild beast, jumping after the fluid butterfly, scratching and biting with no sense of logic to his attack.

Very soon, it was all well and truly over, Chat ripping the butterfly broach from its unworthy master, a small lilac kwami tumbling out of it.

She had watched as his face flashed, disbelief, sadness, betrayal, all gone before she could recognise them fully. She glanced at the man he had pinned down.

Oh.

_Oh._

It made so much sense, she had even suspected him before, but seeing him, defiant and angry under her partner was something she couldn't have foreseen, something that didn't seem real.

Oh, and  _Adrien._ Her sweet, gentle, caring, kind, amazing crush. He would be crushed. She knew he would be, he was too lovely not to be and her heart ached for him, despite what his father had done to her 

Somehow the love of her life was less important at that moment compared to her partner, her best friend emotionlessly pulling the criminal up, herding him to where the police were waiting for them. 

He left as soon as Gabriel was cuffed.

She didn't have the chance to strain her hoarse voice to say goodbye to him.

She stayed behind, alone, to reassure her city.

To reassure her family.

She would be able to hug her kitty later, cry with him as he understood her in ways no one else ever would be able to. She would just have to wait for him.

He would never leave her waiting for him.

* * *

He left her.

* * *

Adrien left too.

* * *

She cried until she couldn't anymore.

It didn't bring him back.

She couldn't bring him back.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Was anything Marinette did for anyone other than Chat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh im not sure about this chapter, but i would love for you guys to guess where this is leading in the comments. Also tell me what you want! Povs, ocs, plot twists, im here for you guys so its up to you!

"Marinette!" Alya called, rapping impatiently on the trap door, "It's really, really, really important!"

Marinette blinked blearily, lifting her dark head up from where she was face down on an overstuffed pillow. She groaned in response to Alya's energetic arrival, letting out a yawn, nearly falling from her loft bed in the process, before slowly climbing down the ladder.

She then collapsed on her nice, pretty, _comfortable_ chaise. Why was she up again?

The knocking started up again.

Oh.

Alya.

Right.

"Coming!"

Now to get up.

Marinette didn't need to get up right away though, Alya having finally succeeded in pushing the trapdoor open, resulting in stacks of textbooks and a mannequin tumbling to the floor.

"Mari. You know you can't put stuff on your trapdoor, it's such a bitch to get it open!" The young journalist huffed goodnaturedly, sticking her tongue out at the exhausted fashion major. "Oh, hun. Another all nighter?"

Marinette nodded, moaning as the action only worsened her building migraine.

"You need to stop doing this to yourself, Mari," Alya pouted, before perking up again, waving a crumpled envelope, "Anyways, aside from your awful habits, guess who just got accepted into her dream université!"

At this, Marinette woke right up, boucing off of the lovely, warm, _beautiful_ chaise...

No.

Stop that.

Alya.

Only to trip over the fallen mannequin immediately.

Come _on._

"Alya! Oh my god, that's amazing, I'm so, so proud of you, oh my god, we're going out, I'm paying for everything, we can go to the café down the road, they have the best pies in the worl-"

Alya laughed, pushing at Marinette's shoulder.

"Marinette, calm down, girl! We have made plans to meet with Nino tonight, _but_ since today is the anniversary of the big showdown with Chat Noir and Ladybug I would love you forever if you would come down to the park to see the mayor's speech and stuff for the Ladyblog?"

Alya was blinking furiously, displaying huge puppy dog eyes, lower lip stuck out in attempt to look pleading and innocent.

Marinette blinked slowly, laughing nervously as she rubbed her arm. "Uh...I dunno Alya, I'm not really into the superhero thing like you are."

Alya rolled her eyes, grinning slightly, "No duh, as if anyone could be more obsessed with superheroes than me," Her grin turned down slightly, her honey eyes peering at Marinette, concerned. "We haven't hung out in ages, Marinette. Let's just do this quickly and then run and get some coffee, okay?"

Marinette worried her lower lip as she thought it over.

She would have nightmares for weeks if she went to see His statue, and would probably have a nervous breakdown if the mayor talked about her former alterego.

But...

Alya was right. She wasn't being a good friend, and she wasn't being healthy.

She hadn't even gone out at all aside from her classes and lectures, of course.

The Chat she had known and loved wouldn't have wanted this for her.

She didn't want this for her.

Alya was observing her silently, knowing her well enough to leave her alone while she was debating the pros and cons of her situation.

To heck with it.

She laughed at Alya, wrapping her arms around her, "Of course I'll go! What kind of friend would I be to leave you all alone?"

Oops.

She really disliked it when she thought about Chat, because she always ended up jumping to conclusions and thinking of outlandish stories that might have caused his disappearance.

The overactive thinking and imagination  reminded her of when she was in collège, crushing on Adrien.

Marinette winced internally.

No one knew why he had vanished, though trashy online conspiracy theorists had quite the fun twisting his disappearance, speculating that his father was only the scapegoat for his crimes as the True Hawkmoth, or that he was _Chat Noir,_ of all people!

The internet never failed to astound her with it's stupidity. She had _seen_ Adrien be abducted by a giant gorilla while Chat Noir helped get him back, for god's sake.

Two of her bestfriends missing.

"Marinette...you're choking me!"

And one bestfriend she was strangling.

Marinette leaped back with a sheepish smile, shooing Alya out so she could get changed in peace.

She brushed her knotted hair, forgoing her signature pig tails for a simple pony tail. She brushed past all of the Chat Noir and Ladybug clothes and merchandise Alya had gifted her ("I'll convert you one day, Mari, one day!") for a light pink dress she had made a while back.

Technically still her favourite colour, but deep emerald green was a secret weak spot.

Marinette took a deep breath.

She was doing this for Alya.

She could never abandon Alya.

She would never abandon Alya.

Ladybug or not, hero or not, she now knew what it felt like, to call for a friend and sob when they never answered.

To wait at a planned meeting place until the sun had gone down, feeling cold and empty as she left, alone.

The twenty year old bluenette would rather die before forcing anyone to go through that kind of pain.

Feelings caught up with her. She ignored them, knowing she deserved it for not hepping her partner. If she ignored them, they'd go away.

(Theyd come back at midnight to claw at her brain, entangling her fears)

She had been holding on for too long. Six years...yet Chat would wait a million for her. And she would wait until the dark to her light returned.

He promised that he always would, after all!

"Ready to go, girl?" Alya was excited, happy to spend time with her introverted best friend. Marinette basked in her confidence.

She was ready. She was ready. She was ready.

"As I'll ever be!"

Tom and Sabine waved happily after their daughters (Alya was like a sister to their Marinette).

For some reason, it was hard for Marinette to grasp that she was going to the press conference for Alya.

Was she really?

Or was she going for her kitty?

Marinette didn't want to know the answer.

It had been so long but she just kept spiralling, her mind out of control as she fumbled for meaning. Who could she tell the truth? Who would understand?

She missed the responsibility of being Ladybug, missed the control and rush that came with helping people, but the bad memories were entangled with the good until she couldn’t distinguish the difference. 

She would go, be supportive, act like she didn’t care that no-one understood, and she’d learn not to flinch at butterflies landing on her arms.

_Out of mind, out of sight._

 

It’d be fine.

It had to be.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comment <3


	3. Dr. Venk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...And, it is my duty to inform you that Gabriel Agreste, the criminal known as Hawkmoth, was killed just three days ago," The mayor paused after this statement, observing the admittedly shocked reactions of the mob. They murmured with one another, occasionally shouting questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so I understand that there may be some confusion as to whats up with mari. why is she still hung up over something that happened 6 years ago? whats preventing her from healing? did the final battle leave long lasting wounds on her psyche? hopefully these questions will be answered in this chapter, and maybe an Adrien appearance ;) Side Note, this chapter is over 2,200 words in like 2 days so be proud of meeeee

Because the bakery was so close to the infamous park, Alya and Marinette were among the first to arrive, and were therefore able to find a decent spot before the erected podium for Alya to set up.

Alya didn't really use her phone to record anymore, and rarely ever covered the Ladybug and Chat Noir of Paris, instead enamouring her readers and viewers with beautifully woven tales of the Miraculouses history.

She explored the dark and tragic history of Coleottero Rosa and her Pantera D'ebano from early Italy, of Tharwa and his Musiba from Arabia. She covered Ladybug and Chat Noir on their anniversaries; first akuma, first appearance and, of course, the final battle. Other than that, she had detached herself from her heroes rather easily, still posting the occasional conspiracy theory from time to time.

Marinette was kind of jealous. Her friend would always be able to face danger and punch it in the face before leaving it alone to cry. She was just a badass like that.

The flashing cameras and loud voices of reporters and photographers dominated the park, drawing more attention to the unfolding press conference. The mayor had yet to arrive, but that was to be expected with his advancing age. Mayor Bourgeois was still the mayor, how, Marinette may never know (If she was being honest, bribes and money were the first thing that sprung to mind when she asked herself that question, but that was neither here nor there). 

Marinette looked over the interviewers and reporters, eyeing them critically. 

They were professionals to be seen on live television, and they were dressed like that? It was so frustrating, and just the lack of care at the obviously last minute put together outfits (the mayor occasionally forgot about actually scheduling things properly, and lord knows he's too stubborn to hire a decent secretary) left her itching to create something better.

Maybe she could offer to help the few with easy to fix problems...?

"Get out of my way!" Was all the warning Marinette got before she was pushed into Alya by an obnoxious sounding cameraman, leaning into the girls space to get a decent shot of the rather simple set up before them. He looked mean, with his dark clothes and slicked back hair. His lips twisted into a scowl as he glared at them, "Get out of my shot! The mayor will be here soon and I  _need_ to get him arriving on scene, alright?" He pushed Alya's camera into her, causing Alya to puff up indignantly, reminding Marinette of a territorial fox as she jabbed a finger in the guy's face.

"You listen here, you, you jerk!" Alya cried, stepping forward threateningly, forcing the man to back away, slightly afraid of the firey college student. Marinette couldn't blame him, Alya was intimidating in her own right. 

Alya continued to rant, gesturing violently at the man, hissing and spitting until he was on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry miss," He said to Marinette, before apologising to Alya for nearly damaging her camera and his rudeness, before scurrying away to find a different place to film the mayors arrival.

"Oh my god, I didn't think that would actually work," Alya revealed, chuckling as she straightened her camera, readjusting the settings even as she pulled out her phone. Marinette peered over her shoulder, curious as to what she was doing, only to find that she was recounting the Douche Camera Guy to her many, many followers on Twitter, "Should I post it on my Snapchat story as well do you think?" Alya continued, not even looking at Marinette as she tapped away.

"Maybe not?" Marinette giggled as she snatched Alya's cell from her hand, snorting at the loud squawk Alya let out in response. "I mean, the conference - thingy will start soon, and you'll be too busy talking about one thing on like fifty different apps to even pay attention!" She neatly evaded Alya's attempts at retrieving her phone, laughing all the while. It was fun to tease her friend like this, Marinette had missed their light banter under everyone's constant worry for her.

The girls were distracted from their mock fight by yelling as a large white limousine came to a stop at the entrance of the park. Alya was easily distracted by the commotion, forgetting her phone as she rushed to the mayor, leaving Marinette overwhelmed by the noise.

"You said, mayor, just two days ago, that you had an important detail to tell us today, can you elaborate on that?" A tall blonde woman called out, her accent distinctively not French.

"Mayor, you previously sent others out to do a speech for you on anniversaries of events such as today. Is there any reason that this day in particular is different?" A mousy man nudged his way to the mayor, holding his microphone out as far as he could.

"You told us that every news station would want to hear what you have to say today, and even on short notice we've arrived, what is the scoop you mentioned?" It was Alya that spoke this time, glasses gleaming in the bright sunlight as she held her own fairly expensive voice recorder under the Mayors hooked nose.

Marinette was caught off guard by all the voices and all the noises, even the vision of Alya pushing forward in a crowd with that determined glint in her eyes bringing back memories.

* * *

"Alya!" Marinette screamed, lunging for the Ladyblog owner even as the fire based akuma sent a blaze of fire her way.

It hurt, her suit not saving her from the full force of the golden flames as Alya broke down crying, scared.

The sun shone off her glasses from where they sat askew on her nose, blinding Ladybug.

Blinding Marinette

* * *

Marinette stood in shock, staring at Alya, the urge to save and protect growing stronger by every second.

The mayor gradually made his way to the front of the crowd, with minimal assistance from his armed companion (Mayor Bourgeois tried to prove himself capable to care for himself at every moment, his opposition often bringing his advanced age into consideration during election times. Bourgeois still had more money and influence on his side though). He waved for the gathered people to quiet down, smiling benignly to himself as he waited patiently. Eventually everyone did settle down, seeming to come to the realisation that if they kept talking, they wouldn't get the answers they wanted.

Marinette had long since been forgotten by Alya, and decided to take a breather for her shivering to subside, not focusing on the park since it seemed to trigger her memories from That Day.

She really disliked the park, she decided, fiddling with hers and Alya's phones.

She could still hear the mayor as he started to speak, not listening as she practised her breathing exercises.

"Citizens of Paris..." The mayor spoke slowly, the audience hanging on his every word.

Marinette absent - mindedly wondered how he got so many people to show up. She wouldn't put it past a Bourgeois to pay reporters to come to an event, and she  _knew_ anyone he asked would've said yes in a heartbeat.

She tuned out again, focusing on her trembling hands as she faded out of reality again.

* * *

"Save us, Ladybug!" Mayor Bourgeois called with a megaphone, Chloe typing away frantically behind in. She flashed him a reassuring smile, her lapse in attention allowing Hawmoth to strike her with his cane. It hit her burnt back with a large  **THWACK** , her large sapphire eyes filling with tears at the burning pain that rushed through her body.

* * *

 

Said sapphire eyes came back into focus, her hands fumbling for her bag, her bag where was her bag, where was her medicine...?

No medicine. She remembered, her doctor took them off her because her condition wasn't improving.

* * *

 

"This is just a trial, Marinette," A warm voice told her, "You can't keep relying on the medication when it isn't helping you in the long run." 

* * *

It was a fair and logical decision to make, at the time, though Marinette wished she had begged to keep the meds instead of  _this._

"...And, it is my duty to inform you that Gabriel Agreste, the criminal known as Hawkmoth, was killed just three days ago," The mayor paused after this statement, observing the admittedly shocked reactions of the mob. They murmured with one another, occasionally shouting questions.

"Has his miraculous been found yet, sir?" A young man called out, raising his hand slightly.

The mayor made to answer but was interrupted as another reporter spoke up, "What about the accomplice in Hawkmoths attacks, is his son, Adrien Agreste still missing?" Alya pursed her lips at that, eager to hear the answer but not liking how the reporter had asked the question.

"Hawkmoths miraculous is still unknown and has not yet been found, and Adrien Agreste is still missing, the few leads the police had before led nowhere." Mayor Bourgeois frowned, forehead creasing as he asked a question of his own. "There is no proof that indicates Adrien as an accomplice. Where did you get that information from?"

The woman blushed a bright cherry red as she mumbled about her sources wish for privacy.

Marinette was willing to bet she saw a trashy magazine online and blindly accepted it as truth. It was sad how many people actually did that.

"Are the police even still looking for Agreste? I mean, it has been  _six years_ since he was last seen." Marinette was extremely annoyed at the group of newbie journalists and reporters, seeing as they had absolutely no tact whatsoever.

It gave her something to focus on, so she was grateful for that, at least, she mused as she wiped at a few tears threatening to escape her eyes.

"Not exactly," Bourgeois answered, "The force will look into any leads, but they are not actively searching for him anymore, no." This induced a few more whispers, as everyone started debating, throwing rumors and theories around, just to make their stories more interesting. Marinette could see the headlines already.

'Adrien Agreste; A New Villain?'

'Hawkmoth, Assassinated In Prison.'

Ugh.

The speech went on for a little longer, though the mayor made a hasty escape before anyone could hound him for details and answers. As he made his leave, Marinette caught a glimpse of bleached blonde hair from inside the limo, quickly coming to the conclusion that Chloe had waited for her father. She wondered if the model had grown out of her bullying and bad attitude.

Probably not, what with how she was coddled.

"Marinette? Marinette!" Alya was searching among the stragglers for a glimpse of the bluenette, calling her name desperately.

"Alya!" Marinette barrelled towards her, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"Oh, Mari, I'm so, so sorry," Alya spoke, taking in her friends bedraggled appearance, "Uh, can I take you home? I don't know what to do, do you want to go see Dr. Venk?"

Marinette smiled weakly, "No, Alya, I'm fine, I'm not crippled or anything. Let's go home and get ready to go out tonight, okay?" Alya agreed, hesitant to be near her friend even as they walked back home together.

* * *

They arrived back home soon, and Marinette was quickly sent upstairs with a "Go change into that orange jumpsuit! I can do your hair later!" from Alya. She sighed, already knowing what was going on as Alya dragged Tom and Sabine away.

She decided to get changed, as Alya had instructed, not having the energy to listen to them talking about her.

She brushed by the safe in her closet, a dainty hand stroking it as she passed the shelf it was on. She quickly turned back and opened it, double checking that it's contents were safe. She cracked open the musty velvet box, eyes taking on a dreamy quality as she brushed her fingers against the cold, black earrings.

" - But she's not getting better! She's getting worse because we're all letting her keep things from us! She has PTSD for god's sake, and we don't even know wha-" Alya tended to shout when she got really into something, only hushing when Marinette's parents reminded her that the subject of their conversation was just upstairs.

The yell was enough to snap Marinette out of it, quickly shutting the ornate box and throwing it into its new home, cringing at the echoing bang that sounded as the box hit metal. She moved on, apologising to Tikki mentally as she did so.

She quickly got dressed, just in time for Alya to burst through the trapdoor to do her hair in twin buns, rambling excitedly about the contents of the mayors speech, mentioning the possibility of attending Gabriel's funeral. Marinette only hummed in agreement, eyes drifting closed at the calming sensation of Alya brushing and twisting her hair.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere across the country, a pair of bright green eyes glared at the small, cheap television set up in his cramped living room. The tv in question was displaying the mysterious conditions around Gabriel Agrestes death, and the current plan to have him buried in the Agreste family graveyard. Adrien Agreste downed his drink, as he stood to go find his contacts and pack a bag, running a ringless hand through messy brown hair. He could finally cash in on his inheritance and disappear for good.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, marinette has some really serious issues - ptsd, anxiety, and a few mixed symptoms sprinkled in. for those wondering, ptsd is a very individual psychological problem based ones experiences and trauma. it will usually set in within six months of a traumatic event(s), and can last from three months to fifty years, depending on support, medication, therapy and the severity of an event. marinette spent at least two years being attacked by monsters and being the main target of a madman. she has witnessed her partners death (timebreaker), her bestfriend almost sacrificed (pharaoh) and being forced to fight close friends since the age of 12. these attacks were consistent enough that trauma never really settled in, but the defeat of hawkmoth and her partners disappearance broke the camels back. she cant tell her friends, family or any therapist about the extent of her problems or what caused them, and shes slowly breaking down. combined with anxiety induced nightmares keeping her awake all night, and the misdirected guilt about everything that happened, shes slowly getting even sicker especially since most places in paris have been attacked by akumas and could potentially trigger an attack. marinette learned that she could only trust chat with this stuff, so shes constantly thinking about him, despite it not being healthy at all. Adrien will be facing similar problems, considering his dad killed him, and neglected him to attack his alter ego and love of his life. hopefully this cleared everything up.


	4. Adrien

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien had been alone for so, so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lemme know what you think! also, if you have any ideas for a fanfic (fandoms, prompts, ships) or any ideas for this story, drop a comment and let me know! I might be making a tumblr account as well ;))

Icy blue eyes scanned the small airport, taking in every single detail, however small or disinteresting; it was a skill Adrien had acquired from his solitude in the country. He stepped forwards in the line, smiling at the petite woman seated behind the pristine counter. He grinned, flipping the dark hood of his jacket down, running lean fingers through his hair, turning on the infamous Agreste charm. She seemed a little unsettled by his attention, but that was to be expected seeing as he had barely left his home previously, never mind actually talking to people. She shot him a quick, tight smile as she looked through his (fake) identification. There was an awkward silence as she slowly examined his credentials.

"Everything seems to be in order, Sir," She spoke monotonously, having clearly said the same thing many times in the past, "Your flight will be departing in thirty minutes, if you could please wait in the seating area, it would be much appreciated." Adrien thanked the girl (Amelia, her name tag revealed), grinning cheekily as he sauntered off. He checked his bags, looking through his meagre supply of clothing, packets of hair dye, contacts, and a little decorated box. Everything was there and safe, and would be for the rest of his time in the unknown. He would never let anyone hurt Plagg.

(Plagg was alone, abandoned by his Kit and away from his counterpart)

The next half hour went by in an unforgiving blur, a burner phone not being all that entertaining, and what books he had thought to pack didn't suit his mood. His father was dead. He was probably supposed to feel sad, or happy or at least  _something_. Not feeling wasn't reassuring or settling to the young male, who had, in the past, preferred to stay vibrant against the cold shackles of his family name. He did suppose that the cause lay with his past, his true family that he had left because,  _God, he should have known, realised._ His old family, his lady, Nino, Nathalie. It was all because of him.

Adrien knew he had problems, it wasn't that hard to realise - what sane man fantasises about a six year scenario played out differently, thought about it every day because the life he lived was because of what he hadn't realised, what he didn't do to protect everyone? He couldn't move on when, surrounding him, was the price he payed for his mistakes? 

Maybe with that inheritance money, he could see an actual doctor and fix whatever was wrong.

Even as he boarded the plane, took his seat (he sat alone, not enough people on the plane but that suited him better anyways) he thought, unable to help the flashbacks that left him trembling and frightened, still a little boy fighting for his life, for his Lady's life. After everything he did for her, he still didn't even know her name, but he was still enamoured with her, the sassy girl in his few good dreams.

* * *

"Nathalie? Nathalie!" A young boy raced down the hall, heaving and crying before coming to a stop in front of the shell-shocked assistant. She was clearly uncomfortable being near him, and even though it was probably due to the display of emotion, the hurt burned his heart.

"Please, Nathalie, please, my father, he's..." Her hard eyes softened even as she straightened, professional as ever.

"What do you need, Adrien?"

"I need to leave, I need to go away, please Nathalie, don't let anyone find me," She nodded, and he was soon after in a meeting with a slick business man who offered his disappearance, for a sum.

* * *

 

The flight would be an hour or so at least, and he would like to get some sleep in before meeting the place that haunted his nightmares, where he was burned and hit and neglected all for someone who was gone. He was there and she wasn't and his father still chose her. He might have as well, right? If he had gotten the Butterfly Miraculous first, if his father had found out or convinced him to join him, or anything.

He could've been the one to hurt his Lady, because his family wasn't right. He was raised (barely, but still) by a terrorist, and the thought of him being the one bringing pain and corruption?

Plagued him more than anything else.

* * *

It was chaos in the empty streets, fire blazing - a man who lost his home to a fire had been akumatized when  _he_ let Hawkmoth get away. His Bugaboo was trying her hardest to contain the damage and was being relatively successful in her endeavours, until a citizen came along.

Not just any citizen.

_Alya._

Alya who they had told so many times to stay away, to listen to them, to help others get away, came to video for her little blog. Ladybug was hurt and it was Alya who screamed. He hated himself for hating her because it was all her fault that Ladybug had to put herself in front of the blast, but Alya was still innocent and naïve, trusted them to be in full control of the situation.

It wasn't fair.

* * *

Soon enough, they arrived, midday sun glowing bright. Adrien was going to have to meet up with Mr. Gras soon, the man having hired a car to take him to a café where they would put a plan in place and decide what was Gras was going to get as payment. The Agreste fortune was immense, the entire family having been extremely successful in their areas of business. Adrien was not looking forward to negotiations with someone as sly as Gras; the man would gleefully steal more than he was owed, and outsmarting him was near impossible. At least, that's what Nathalie had warned him about before everything.

She tried to talk him out of it, of course, but he was going to do it either way - a professional found by Nathalie would always be safer and more inclined to not kill their client at the first sign of trouble. Gras wouldn't kill Adrien; he would send his men to if he were betrayed or cheated out of his money, but he was a valuable asset and quite the ego boost to the old man. Imagine being able to hide the famous Agreste boy for years, and making a fortune off it, other,  _smaller_ illicit businesses would have drooled at the opportunity.

Adrien snorted, earning curious glances as he strolled out of the large building, hands in hoodie pockets and satchel slung over his shoulder, none of the people looking at him for long. Quite the difference from his childhood.

Thinking of Chloe just brought a grimace to his face. How had he been friends with that brat? Like their mothers were friends, but Chloe was such a bitch.

More people looked at him.

He really needed to stop thinking with his facial muscles.

A flashy red car honked at him, causing him to turn and wave cockily at the woman driving. She merely gazed back, expressionless as her dark black sunglasses shone angrily under the sun. Gras was making a power move, expensive car, emotionless driver, blah, blah, blah. Now all Adrien had to do was keep a smile on his face, be confident and pay the guy a couple hundred thousand dollars. In return for a better life, somewhere else...maybe Italy?

Adrien could only think of the look on Gras' face if it was ever revealed that he had hid Chat Noir from the public, but it would be so hilarious if it ever happened.

Which it wouldn't.

But it would be so worth it...

No. Focus.

And he was thinking with his face again.

The strange woman/bodyguard/driver/person/probable robot didn't bother keeping up a conversation, so Adrien kept himself entertained by watching the scenery as they drove past parts of the city, hyperaware of what had happened in some of these spots, what had been done to him, his people.

(He had apparently died over there, his Ladybug revealed, sobbing after the incident)

He noted all the places and events, promptly coming to the conclusion that he would never return again. Ever.

He kept up the fun game of flashbacks and hyperventilating until they arrived at a little, inconspicuous café that kind of defeated the purpose of the swanky car, but who was he to judge?

The redheaded woman (who was actually super tall, like wow) escorted him none too gently from the car to the café even though it was just on the other side of the road, pushing him into a seat before sitting a couple of tables away.

"Okay, rude," Adrien muttered, combing his fingers through his brunet locks, turning to the aging man seated across from him, "Your employees are really rude, by the way."

"It's a required skill," The dark haired man (he probably dyed his hair) returned silkily, showing off perfect teeth, "As if you're the sweetest cookie in the cookie jar,  _Agreste_." Adrien snarled, sunny mood darkening abruptly as he leaned into the corrupt man's tan face, displaying no respect for boundaries.

"Don't you dare call me that, you, yo-" Adrien growled, before getting rudely cut off (seriously, was it honestly a requirement for criminals to be like that...?).

"If you don't stop baring your teeth at me, you'll be leaving here today, without any," He hadn't even quirked a brow at Adrien's outburst, which, _impressive_ , but still.

"Now, if you're willing to listen, I'll explain what you're going to do."

While not fully calm yet, still infuriated by thee stone cold people (and not because they reminded him of his father ), Adrien sat back to listen, "Go on then."

They talked for a few hours, offering social niceties before getting down to business, Adrien often interjecting with snarky comments or completely missing the point of what Gras was saying. Adrien also spent some time drifting off, causing the older male much frustration and perhaps some confusion. The woman with green eyes and red hair watched them intensely which left Adrien a tiny bit on edge. The sun was setting by the time Adrien stood to make his leave, only to be handed a small note with a number and address on it. He stared questioningly at the usually foreboding man, causing him to shift as though flustered by his actions, something Adrien hadn't seen from him before.

"I've helped you since you were a teen, I may as well not stop now," Gras looked towards the woman (her name turned out to be Clare), before turning back to Adrien, "This is a good medical clinic, they have some pretty good psychiatrists. I don't know what happened to you, but a healthy teenager doesn't usually hire me, and you've been in isolation for around six years." Clare walked towards the two, short heels clicking with every step, the sound echoing in the nearly empty café. Gras smiled, winking at Adrien as he offered some words of advice; "I would highly recommend Doctor Venk!"

"You'll have your money by Sunday then, sir!"

And so, Adrien was left alone again, hastily scrawled note in hand. He smiled, chuckling softly. It was always nice to have someone care.

So....Doctor Venk? He  _was_ going to look at some places while in Paris, anyways.

 

* * *

 

It was early in the morning that Adrien rocked up to the address scrawled onto the lined paper (from a notebook?) the clinic was small, but Adrien was used to small places, living in the sparse countryside for a good portion of his life. He had payed for a short session with Doctor Venk (how did an organised crime boss know a psychiatrist? Hopefully she wasn't evil or anything), using his new credit card. He waited for around ten minutes, fidgeting slightly (at least in the country he wasn't cooped up) with his blue shirt, the one that made his fake eyes just pop.

Doctor Venk was a lovely woman, with deep blue eyes and dark hair (My Lady...?), the very definition of warm and friendly. She eased him into telling her a little bit about himself, listening intently and jotting down small details in her notepad, keeping her attention solely on what she was saying. 

"I have experience dealing with these sorts of thoughts and behaviours, can you tell me a little about what may have started this all?"

"So you left your home on short notice because you found out some unpleasant truths about your family, can you tell me more...? No? That's fine..."

"Did your father harm you, or someone close to you?"

"You've survived a lot, your reactions and anxiety in certain places, times and situations with people is mainly just your brain telling you to run, because you've experienced something there and it doesn't want you to get harmed again, does that make sense?" 

"Have you confronted your father or any of the people that harmed you?"

"What about the people you left, tell me about them."

"Do you feel responsible for what occurred?"

"Is this your first time seeking psychological help for your trauma?"

"Six years may seem like a long time, but times vary from the kind of trauma to how your brain reacts to it, sometimes the nightmares or flashbacks or attacks will keep the trauma fresh in the mind, it creates a cycle."

They had a rather personal conversation, that felt like it dragged on for hours, instead of just thirty minutes. Adrien thanked her again, and she reassured him that after a few sessions they would be able to properly pinpoint his main problems, and focus on techniques to help him.

"Just remember, life is full of surprises and chances; sometimes we just need to roll with the universe."

He rummaged through his satchel (he would never go anywhere without it), accidentally walking into a young, petite woman with bluebell eyes and crow feather hair, knocking her to the ground. She looked at him in shock, as he recalled the departing words Dr. Venk called out to him just moments before.

On any other day, he would've just left, but he was in a good mood and the girl was cute.

"Sorry," He grinned sheepishly, offering a hand to help her up.

"It's alright," She offered him a wary smile in return, "I'm Marinette. Marinette Dupain - Cheng."

"A lovely name for a lovely Lady," Adrien winked cheekily, dropping a kiss to the hand he was still holding. (What am I doing?)

Instead of getting uncomfortable (which, lets be honest, she was entirely right to be), she giggled, pushing him back by his nose. "And what can I call you, flirt?"

He grinned, feeling a strange attraction (not just physically or romantically, it just felt right to be near her) to the little lady.

"My name is Alex, Alex Menteur."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg they finally met my precious


	5. Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The only way to become friends with another, is to hang out with a stranger that makes you laugh (unless they're creepy. dont do that)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so short but school is starting up and i have essays and projects to finish :p
> 
> ALSO: follow my tumblr, 'xbloodrunsredx'
> 
> I love you guys xx

Adrien was literally the stupidest man on earth, not realising the connection between the name ‘Dupain-Cheng ‘ and the bubbly bluenette that was friends with Nino’s…sister? Girlfriend? Either way, he couldn’t believe that he had forgotten his favourite patisserie, it was the best from what he could remember, granted that wasn't a lot. He couldn’t believe that Marinette had actually gone out with him (a date, a part of him snickered, though she thought she was just helping out a tourist), a stranger.

Where was her self preservation?

  
After he'd seen her yesterday, it wasn't unfair to assume it was back in the doctors office, if he was being honest.  
That actually caused him to snort out loud, because as nice as she seemed, Venk only dealt with the serious cases and the crazies, or so google had said.

  
She was the best of the best, as considered by the many others of her profession.

Marinette peered up at him curiously (and gosh she was absolutely tiny wasn’t she?), reminding him to school his expressions just a tad more.

  
“Penny for your thoughts?” her voice was delicate and sweet, just like the rest of her, and it just made him want to coo over how smol and precious she was, the little bean.

  
“Just thinking over how fate just threw us together, little lady,” Adrien posed, grinning rougishly as they came to a stop outside the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

  
“Haha,” Marinette rolled big blue-bell eyes, throwing Adrien into a bubbling pit of nostalgia, “I just need to get my keys, Mama and Papa are leaving on holidays this evening.”

  
Adrien nodded, eyeing the pastries in the shop window before snapping to attention before the princess (stranger), “I promise I won't rob you, lady,” he made sure to throw in another suggestive eyebrow wriggle, that always scored him points with the ladies.

She blinked, slowly as though she hadn’t considered that the practical stranger might not actually be a nice and decent person, before trusting him implicitly, “Thanks, dude,” she raised her brow as well, mocking him (and gosh it was adorable awe).

“Can I pretty please come in and steal some of your croissants, my best and only friend, Mari?” Adrien pouted, quickly switching to a full blown grin as she sighed, pulling him into the bakery's warmth by his just then purchased Eiffel Tower scarf.

“Mama! Papa! I'm just gonna grab my keys and a few sweets, okay?” Marinette called upstairs where her parents were probably taking advantage of the surprisingly not busy day to kiss or something (which, ew, she loved them but no).

“Oh, Marinette, are you going out with Alya? Make sure you take your phone, I talked to Dr. Venk again after yesterday's appointment, she said you should probably take your anxiety medication before leavin-" Mrs. Cheng bustled down the stairs, keys in hands as she spoke, rushed, only stopping when she saw Adrien standing behind Marinette.

With a sweet smile, Marinette's mother grabbed her hand, excusing them with a polite “We won't be a moment, dear,” before pulling marinette into the kitchen to talk.

“Mama!” Marinette huffed, forehead creased as she gestured aimlessly back towards the fr okknt of the store, “Alex is my friend, you're going to scare him off!”

Sabine snorted, “From where? Who is he? How long have you known him? Why haven'tI heard about him before? What-" Marinette cut her off with a sharp look, lean arms folded over her chest.

“Mama, don't you dare act like you would be acting like this if I was normal,” Marinette turned away, eyes welling up with angry tears, “I just want to be normal, but you just want to treat me like I'm broken. Is Alya supposed to be my only friend forever?”  
Sabine was taken aback, shock evident on her aging face. She opened her mouth as though to speak, before closing it again, not willing to defend herself. Marinette swiftly snatched the keys out of her mother's lax hand, offering her no parting words in her wake.

  
Marinette shovelled some croissants into a tiny paper bag, miraculously making the four fit. She smiled slightly as she heard the conversation between the two men that had yet to notice her.

  
“Your puns are absolutely breadful, my good sir, I'm sure I could beat you any thyme,” Alex delivered his line laughing boisterously, something she hadn't heard from him. It was good, albeit a little familiar.

  
She could barely hear what her father replied over her own giggles, causing both of the punners to snap their heads in her direction. She waved her package cheekily, laughing once more as Alex practically salivated on the spot, reminding her of a starving anime character with his big eyes and gravity defying hair (it was really pretty, but Marinette suspected he had dyed it, it just didn't suit him, in her opinion). Her father bent down to whisper something in Alex's ear, which caused the younger male to tear his eyes away from her, gulping and whispering something back.

  
Marinette looked on, amused. Her father was a huge teddy bear, intimidating as he may appear. She gave him a quick hug and kiss before grabbing Alex by the hand and dragging him out.

The two hadn't even rounded the corner before the yelling started.

  
“She's not a child, Sabine, you can't keep locking her away!”

  
“Sometimes it feels like I'm the only one looking out for her, after whatever it is she went through!”

  
Marinette flushed a deep red, pulling him faster as they both broke out in a sprint away from the bakery. They stopped just by Love-Lock bridge, panting heavily as they listened to Andre’s happy little icecream song (they both think of glaciator, and miss each other more than words describe).

“So...what was that about?” Adrien turned his face to look at hers. She only gazed into the water, not deigning him even a glance.

“My parents have differing opinions when it comes to me and my...illnesses.” Her voice was soft, her lower lip trembling, “...it's my fault.”

Alex blinked, mouth open slightly in his disbelief, “It's not, though. Did you want this? Your illness, your parents fighting?”

“Never, no, I would never – I hate this, all of it.” Marinette bowed her head, refusing to let any tears slip through her strong facade. “I don't hate this, though,” she sent him a watery smile, “You're too nice, and genuine, and can probably understand me better than anyone else I have.”

Alex looked off, a strangely blank expression on his face as he answered an unspoken question, “Maybe. You know, you probably shouldn't trust me with all this, stranger danger and all that.”

She laughed at that, bumping him with her hip, “I just have a feeling I can trust you. It's probably not smart, but you make me feel safe.” She was honest and to the point.

She was sick of overthinking every action, and while her gut feelings and instincts usually caused her harm, she knew it was just her brain trying to protect what's left of her. Maybe it was a sign.

She shook her head, dispelling her deep thoughts, before dragging him to get some authentic parisian ice cream. They got seperate cones, of course, Alex's being in varying shades of blue, pink and red, Marinette's being green, yellow and brown.  
They strolled down street after street, wandering around the entire city until late in the night. They talked about many, many things, still somehow avoiding and evading questions too personal.

“Don't you have any other friends you'd like to hang out with, rather than me?” Alex was too sweet, as they walked alongside each other, matching strides perfectly.

“Nope.”

  
Being the sweet person he was, Alex left it at that.

  
They spun around, taking in the stars, trying (and mostly succeeding) to forget about their pains in the vision of something new.  
They finally arrived at Marinette's place somewhen in the early hours of the morning (it’s easy to lose track of time when you're lost in the stars).

  
“Thank you, Alex. For everything.” Marinette leaned in to oress a chaste kiss to his cheek, giving him a bonecrushing hug.

  
“No problem, milady,” Adrien stiffened as soon as the words left his mouth, bombarded with memories of a young girl clad in red flipping all over the place (not unlike when Marinette jokingly showed off her skills in gymnastics, but the thought is conveniently pushed out of his mind). Marinette tensed as well, lips pursued as she disentangled herself from him.

  
“Well...goodbye, then,” Marinette shifted from foot to foot in front of him, giving him a quick wave before dashing inside, leaving Adrien to stand, bemused.

He whistled to himself as he double checked Plagg, tightened his scarf and headed off to his hotel.

Without Marinette, the streets seemed dull and lifeless, enough that he pulled out his phone and sent her a text that she woulld probably only see the next morning, when she woke up.

  
A buzz sounded from his pocket just after he put it back.

  
To: Marinette DC

  
From: Alex M

  
drinks tmrrw? ill pay :p

 

To: Alex M

  
From: Marinette DC

  
sure thing stranger :D

 

Adrien smiled the entire way to his hotel.

 


	6. Confession and Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TUMBLR: xbloodrunsredx
> 
> id love to hear from you!! this is a pretty long chapter, around 5 and a half pages soooo enjoy!
> 
> drop me a comment and kudos xxx

“Marinette! Marinette! Marinette!” Alya called through the bakery door, knocking rapidly as she had been doing for around twenty minutes already.

  
It was already ten am, and neither Marinette or her parents weren’t answering the bakery door, though a sign in the window declaring that it would be closed for two weeks starting yesterday. Unbeknownst to the ombre haired college student, Marinette had already left, Alex having stopped by early (he didn't know when she was free and they decided to just spend the day together) to steal some left over pasteries. (He wanted to hang out)

  
“Argh!” Alya all but growled in frustration, whipping out her phone to send Nino a quick text, before calling Marinette again, snarling again at the unanswered messages.

  
**From: Alya C**

  
**girl wtf**

  
**where are u**

  
**are u home??**

  
**ur scaring me are u ok????**

  
**i swear im going to call the fucking police if u dont answer**

  
**im texting nino rn**

  
**> :(((**

  
**did u and ur parents leave or smth**

  
**are u sleeping????**

  
**u better fucking not be**

  
**wake tf up**

  
**we had plans babe open the door**

  
Alya started pacing, attracting strange looks from the inhabitants of the buildings by the bakery, scowling as lean brown fingers raked roughly through perfectly done hair. Nino was on his way, and between the two of them, they could probably get the door open, or at least make enough noise for Mari to come out. Though, it was a possibility that the buildings neighbours would call the police on the people breaking through the door.

  
Honey eyes watered beneath stylish glasses, breathing heavily as her mind wandered to the extremes, remembering old events and Marinette's history.

  
Marinette couldn't take care of herself. Alya wouldn't let her, not after...visions bombarded Alya, visions of her best friend swinging, suspended in mid-air, of hospitals and long wounds stretching across the bluenettes thighs.

  
The doctors said it was from her scratching them too hard. Maybe pins or needles.  
Marinette couldn't be trusted, to keep herself safe, to be alone, to do things, without Alya to protect her.

  
Inside, Marinette's forgotten phone buzzed, vibrating from the onslaught of text messages, from both her parents and Alya.

  
**From: Maman**

  
**Are you home marinette?**

  
**Im sorry for before, though i still believe i reacted appropriately considering**

  
**You are home by now right marinette?**

  
**Its nearly 11 marinette you should be awake**

  
**We will be discussing this when im back**

  
**You cant keep doing this to me**

  
**Love you**

  
**Bye**

* * *

  
Meanwhile, way across the city, Marinette was drinking a steaming coffee (no sugar, she got enough from living in a bakery, thanks very much), snorting at Alex's jokes and puns.

  
“Marinette, ewe can't pawssibly beelieve I'm not funny!” Alex pouted, voice going slightly whiny towards the end of his ‘joke' (Marinette found it kind of funny, but she'd never tell him that, of course).

  
“Oh, but I can little boy,” Marinette winked, laughing at his faux devestated expression, puppy eyes glistening as his lower lip stuck out in a childish pout.

  
“Well, at least you can't call me unoriginal, traitor!” Alex mimed getting stabbed in the heart, actually falling to the ground to the alarm of the random passer-by on the street. Marinette rolled her eyes, smiling wistfully.

  
“I actually knew someone just like you,” Marinette side eyed her fast friend, pulling him into an actual cafe so they could rest after walking so far.

  
“Oh? Who is this copycat, this new enemy of mine?” Marinette hid her expression behind a large and elaborate menu, pondering a response. She shouldn't have brought him up, not here, even if Alex reminded her so much of him.

  
“You wouldn't know him. But, his cat puns were amazing and he had really swishy blonde hair,” maybe Alex could sense her change in mood or tone, and his voice softened almost imperceptibly.

  
“Tell me about him?” Marinette hadn't before. Not to her doctor, Alya, anyone. She couldn't save him, she didn't deserve to speak of him. She needed to, though, so bad that it hurt her heart to keep quiet about one of the kindest, bravest, most loving soul she had ever met.

  
She took a deep breath.

  
“I met him when I was thirteen, I literally fell into him and got us tangled up in a bunch of string,” she chuckled, remembering it too vividly, “we...worked together? That's the best way to put it, and he was such a flirt but we became best friends.”

  
Marinette looked at Alex, for any sign she should stop, but all she could see was gentle encouragement.

  
“He...went missing, when I was fourteen, nearly fifteen. I didn't even get to say goodbye!” it was raining by then, rain pouring down as though crying for the mysterious boy with her.

  
Adrien would've had to have been stupid to have missed the glances they got from dome of the other customers in the cafe. “C'mon. I know somewhere we can go,” Alex smiled, extending a hand to Marinette, one she accepted almost immediately.

  
They ran down the streets quickly, splashing in puddles, not talking, yet not falling into an awkward silence as Alex led Marinette down twisting turns, across roads, through bushes before coming to a small park, overgrown with weeds and dying tree's.

  
Adrien frowned as he looked over his once flourishing hideaway, mentally shrugging before dragging Marinette under the protective branches of an overlarge willow tree. There were a myriad of flowers growing at the roots of the tree, making Adrien smile just a little in rememberance.

  
“I used to come here as a kid,” Adrien made himself comfortable and patted the space next to him, encouraging Marinette to come and sit beside him, to finish what she had to say, “please, tell me more.”

  
Marinette was soaked, but she still smiled as she sat besides him, leaning into him as she sought comfort.

  
“I don't know what happened to him. I think it was my fault, though, because he had loved me, he did so much and he would have told me if – if it wasn't me.” Marinette couldn't bear look Alex in the face, staring at the green and brown leaves before her. Alex stayed silent, prompting her to continue, “it's been so many years, but after all we went through, everything we did that gave me all of my problems and issues, I can't forget. I can't, because if it was different, if it was me that was gone, he wouldn't stop looking for me and thinking about me.”

  
“Nearly seven years is a long time to love someone. My dad loved my mum like that, and he ended up in prison. I know he still hired people to search for her, long after he was put away, and he never lost hope in her until he died. He loved her so much, he didn't care for me in comparison.”

  
Marinette's tears were streaming, and Adrien’s were starting to as well.

  
“Do you think it's too long? That I've been holding on so long?” Marinette choked on her words, hand blindly searching for Alex's as she searched for something real to ground her.

  
“...no. I have no idea what you've been through, but I think I can sort of relate, in a weird twisted way. You feel as though...as if letting them go will make you fall with them. Like you'll lose yourself, who you are if they aren't there to remind you.” Adrien wished he hadn't left, seeing Marinette distraught over some guy, he thought of his lady, was she thinking of him like this? He had been so sure she would hate him, but Marinette had every reason to hate this dickhead and she still loved him.

  
Probably more than he deserved.

  
Marinette nodded, ugly crying, but still so beautiful.

  
“No one understands why, I'm the only one who really knew him, no one cared for him, I'm the only person who knows how amazing he was, I'm the only person who he would have trusted to hold on and if I let go, I betray him!” Marinette was on the verge of hyperventilating as she tried to explain her reasoning as she never had before.

  
“Shhh...I'm here, I have you,” Marinette curled into Adrien as he soothed her, both of them mourning as they couldn't before, couldn't alone.

  
They stayed that way, silent until the rain had stopped, the sun streaming through the thick curtain of mottled leaves, almost dozing until Marinette snapped upright, chest heaving, eyes wide and panicked.  
“Alya!” she cried, “I forgot about Alya!”

* * *

 

Alya and Nino had successfully broken down the door (Marinette must've stolen Alya's spare key somewhen, and the windows had those fancy gate things behind them), only to find no trace of the missing girl, only her phone and a cheap scarf on the clean counter.

  
Naturally, Alya called the police and proceeded to tell them every excruciating detail about Marinette, from her personality to her medical background. She was promised that Marinette would be searched for if they didn't have any pressing matters to attend to, but advised her that Marinette may have just forgotten her phone and had gone out.

  
Which was ridiculous, because Alya knew everything about Marinette, and was her only friend, which was better for Marinette.

Nino was trying to be the voice of reason, but he was being too thoughtful, too calm.

“Babe, Marinette might have just forgotten and went for a walk. She'll be back, I'm sure of it.” Nino tried to wrap an arm around Alya's shoulders, only to be shrugged off as she growled and snarled and cursed out the cops.

  
“I need to message Sabine and Tom,” Alya decided, harsh glint in her eyes as she pulled out her phone, only stopping when Nino put his hand on top of the one holding her cell.

  
“They went on holiday though, right? We shouldn't disturb them if it might be nothing.” Nino's gaze was firm, his eyes beseeching as though begging her to stop and listen, stop and think.

  
Alya's brow furrowed, “How did you know they went on a holiday?” Nino laughed, pulling her into a brief hug.

  
“She mentioned it last time we went out. Granted, it was a while ago but I know that she told you, babe,” Alya bit at her lip, trying to decide what to do.

  
“I'll message them,” she started slowly, having calmed down marginally, “and ask if she mentioned anything about what she was doing today.” Nino sighed, not wanting to argue. If it backfired, she learned a lesson, if it didn't she found her friend.

  
**From: Alya C**

  
**To: Sabine C**

  
**mrs cheng did marinette mention what she was doing today?**

  
_She didnt, why??_

  
**what did she do yesterday?**

  
_I dont know_

  
_she did insist on going out with some strange boy though_

  
**strange boy????**

  
_Yes, she said his name was alex. he had some tourist merchandise and a satchel so i assume hes not from here_

  
_Why dear?_

Alya couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, her fingers tightening around her phone as she rushed into the patisserie again. There it was. Plain as day, an Eiffel Tower scarf. Tourist shit. A stranger had her friend.

  
“Nino!” her lover immediately ran over to see what the issue was, if she was alright. She briefly explained the situation before turning around, to do something, she didn't know what, when she came face to face with a flushed and panting Marinette Dupain-Cheng with an equally flushed man behind her.

It was quiet, for once, Alya having been shocked into silence and no one else daring to break it. Of course, after the initial shock had worn off, Alya was the first to speak.  
“Who the fuck are you?” she seethed, grabbing Marinette's arm and roughly dragging her to where Nino was standing behind her.

  
The so called ‘Alex' looked shocked, glancing around almost comically, before pointing at himself mouthing ‘me?’

  
“Yes you! I want you to leave my friend alone.”

  
Marinette stepped forwards, frowning, hands up as though to placate her angry friend, “Alya, I'm sorry I'm bailed, Alex and I were just-"

  
“You were just? I don’t want you near him, ever again. Go inside. Now.”

  
Marinette's eyes stung, tears pricking, though it was anyone's guess why; from anger or embarrassment, there were far too many things wrong with the situation.

  
Adrien was done listening, deciding that a quick extraction was necessary, “Woah! Don't treat her like that. I can see I'm not welcome. Marinette, walk me home?” Alya opened her mouth and raised her fist, as though she was going to attack Adrien for telling her what to do, or tricking Marinette away from her. She only stopped as Marinette rushed forwards, ignoring Alya as she linked arms with Alex, walking away. Alya made to move after them, Nino stopping her.

  
“Alya, I swear to god, if you escalate this any further, Marinette's not going to stay your friend. Get in the fucking car while I go and apologise.” Alya couldn't even begin to defend herself as Nino broke into a jog after the pair.

Nino caught up in a matter of minutes, tapping the dudes (Alex?) shoulder to get his attention. “Uh...hey dude, Marinette, I'm really sorry for what just happened, I don't know where to begin...” to Nino's surprise, Alex didn't seem at all upset with him, despite the fact that he didn't stop Alya.

  
“It's okay, bro, but I really have to be getting back to my hotel now. Maybe I'll see you around?” Marinette didn't say anything, letting the two sort out whatever it is they were doing by themselves.

  
The two turned back to the street again after a minute of meaningless chatter, Nino looking after them with a calculating stare.

  
He couldnt hold it in any longer, he had to know, “Wait!” Nino blushed and fidgeted unfer their sceptical gaze, “do I know you? Alex? You seem so familiar!”

  
Alex stiffened, a protective arm wrapping around Marinette, even as she looked at him questioningly.

He turned them away, throwing his answer back for Nino to catch, “Maybe. In a different life.” He shot a small smile, offering a word of advice, “I reckon you'd look good in a cap, dude,” before disappearing into traffic with Marinette whispering rushed questions.

  
Nino watched them leave until he couldn't see them anymore.

“What was that?” Marinette turned on Alex, though not unkindly-after Alya's stunt, and how polite Alex was, she owed him to be calm.

  
“Just thought he'd look good in a cap,” Alex shrugged, a half smile framing his face. Marinette snorted.

  
“I know we've only been friends for three days, but I call bullshit,” noticing his expression, she touched the arm around her shoulder gently, “come on; I told you a lot more today then I ever did anyone else. Talk to me.”

  
Alex hesitated, but nodded reluctantly – she had told him more than he had told her, and friendships were built on communication.

“Alright.” When Marinette made moves to go to into a library to talk, he shook his head, “no. Let's go to my hotel, alright?”

  
She smiled, unwrapping herself from him, hands on hips, “I'll race ya,” Adrien burst out laughing, ruffling her hair fondly.

  
“You don't even know the way, lady.”

  
“That's why it'll be so much more devestating when I win!” she broke into a sprint, Adrien quick to follow, guiding her somewhat.

* * *

 

Still at the bakery, Alya sat in Marinette's closet, breathing in the scent of her friend's creations while waiting for a new door to arrive. Nino made sure she knew what she had done, and was waiting downstairs while she thought over everything.

  
She still thought she was right, the guy could be a psycho or a rapist, and anything in between! Alya sniffed, remembering what Nino had said about Marinette might not wanting to still be her friend.

  
Even as she stood up, she was formulating a plan. She needed Marinette to come to her, so she could apologise (sincerely or not), because when Marinette made up her mind, it was forever. She probably wouldn't notice any of her clothes or hero merch missing, she had so much, but she honestly only kept her stuffed toys and occasional poster in her room.

  
Alya was next to never allowed in Marinette's wardrobe, and it was always when Marinette was there. She started pacing (she did it too much), before something shiny caught her eye. It was a...safe? Safely tucked away, almost hidden. It was obviously cared for, and it was perfect for her plan.

  
She took the safe downstairs with ease, explaining, “oh I left it here ages ago, ahaha!” for Nino.

  
The safe was safely in the boot of her car just as the repair people showed up.  
Soon after, both Alya and Nino left, Alya thrumming with adrenaline and excitement.

  
She'd have her best friend back soon.

  
She couldn't wait.

 


	7. Reveal?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fuck its one am where i live and yall already know i did not edit this bs.
> 
> dont kill me cos of the cliffies ok cos you wont ever know what happens.
> 
> just visit my tumblr cos i did this for you mk
> 
> TW: mentions of self harm in just the end section, nothing graphic.

Nino was worried. His girlfriend was too in love with the idea of being Marinette's best friend, to the point of her not even being a good friend. Or a good girlfriend, for that matter. It pissed him off to high hell that, when Mari was obviously at least trying, Alya tried to hurt her.

  
Good intentions or no, it was sick and would hurt everyone involved.

  
He should've stopped it ages ago, when he'd first seen the signs; Alya spent all her time with Marinette, trying to take care of her. He knew he should have made her go to a doctor after what she'd seen, but he was too damn ignorant and truly believed that it would all fade like a bad dream.

  
For as long as he had known her, she had never owned a safe. Never had needed to. He wasn't all about calling the love of his life a liar, but things just weren't adding up.

  
She had to randomly dash back to Marinette's house, to ‘leave a note letting her know I'm sorry', and had been bursting into excited happy fits whenever she all but looked at the box.

  
Nino did not want to get caught in whatever drama bullshit was happening, but he did want to help his girlfriend in whatever way he could, which meant he should probably kind of almost confront her.

  
With his noble and thoughtful decision having been made, he squared his shoulders and strode over to where Alya was lying on the couch, watching tv.

  
“Heyyy babeee!” Oh crap, his voice broke, she was gonna know something was up, crap.

  
“Hey, Nino,” her voice was calm and almost bored as she flipped through the channels, trying to find something good to watch.  
Good. She didn't notice.

  
“So, I was thinking, maybe you could talk to Marinette's doctor, what's her face, and see if she has any good advice on what to do?” Alya's brow furrowed as she turned off the televison (there was nothing good to watch anyways), as she turned her full attention onto him.

  
“You mean like as her if Mari talked about me? She was supposed to have a session after we were supposed to hang out, after all,” she wrinkled her nose, as though thinking of something foul, “although that no-good foreigner dude probably made her skip! I knew he couldn't be trusted!”

  
Nino mentally face palmed, how was his girl so bloody oblivious? 

  
“No, I mean like a session, and you can talk about how you feel as well, get all those emotions out, mkay?” Alya had her Considering Face on, and Nino crossed his fingers behind his back.

  
“...well alright then! I need to tell Dr. Venk about Alex! Maybe she will be able to get through to Marinette,” Nino only hoped that the doctor would be able to get through to his girl.

* * *

Marinette and Adrien, however, were both sitting and relaxing on a clean beige couch in Adrien’s room, having just arrived.  
“I reckon my cardio has gotten better,” Adrien shot Marinette a quick glance, closing his eyes almost as soon as he had opened them.

  
“Mine bloody better have, I've only been running for three days straight,” Marinette huffed, groaning as she rolled off the couch, “but, we have better things to do, mate. Spill the tea,”

  
Adrien raised an eyebrow as he rolled off the couch to join her, “I'm sure it can wait until I'm not about to die of a heart attack, don't you?”

  
Marinette didn't even hesitate. “Nope!”  
Adrien groaned exaggeratedly, showing her puppy dog eyes. Unfortunately, they didn't even make her budge.

  
“Fine!” Adrien relented after a miniature staring match (and what was she, an owl? Twas unnatural), managing a laugh as he slumped over her still body, putting his full weight in her as she tried to wriggle away. “Where would you like me to begin, oh Great and Wise Ruler?” Adrien placed his hand delicately on his forehead as he stretched out, and Marinette couldn't help but bark out a laugh at that.

  
“Maybe the beginning, smartass,” Marinette succeeded in getting away (only because she was so small and gosh darn flexible), and started jumping on his bed instead.  
Adrien watched her fondly as he started talking.

  
“So I'm in the opposite position of you, right? I actually left the love of my life, because my dad did some pretty unspeakable things to her, her friends and me. Wow, if she could see me now, she'd probably kill me,”

  
Marinette flipped off the bed, landing just close enough to him so that, when her cursed clumsiness kicked in, he was in a position to soften her landing on the floor. 

  
“Well, if I were the love of your life or whatever, I would recognise that it was your dickhead dad's fault, and things would've stayed the same.” Marinette sniffed haughtily from where she was draped over his lap, unimpressed with the mystery girl.

  
“I don't know what she would have recognised or not, I left before she could hunt me down for what he did, or anyone else could.”

  
“You didn't even ask? Oh my goodness, she was probably heart broken...I personally, should know.” Adrien averted his gaze as Marinette seemed to see right through his soul, through his poor justifications, his reasoning, everything about him.

“...I was scared, a child. I panicked, and no one I knew tried to stop me, so it just happened.” Adrien murmured, pulling at Marinette's silky hair methodically, stroking it.

  
Marinette just hummed at his words, and he took it as a sign to continue, “After that, I was just alone, so I never really got any help, and it made all the nightmares and everything so much harder to deal with.”

  
“I can't help but wonder who your father was, to do what he did, to damage your lady and her friends, when they were just kids,” Adrien tilted his head so he could stare Marinette, right in her lovely eyes, before he responded.

  
“I don't want you to know who he is. He's the father of a person who doesn't exist anymore, he doesn't mean anything to me!”

  
Marinette shuffled out of his lap before pulling him into a warm hug, “I think he does. He's shaped you into you, and you need to accept it if you want peace,” she whispered, warm breath ghosting his ear, and he couldn't help but hug her back.

* * *

Thank god Nino had booked ahead for the appointment, despite not being sure if Alya would even approve of going, because the place was bustling, more people there then there should have been, for such a small building. 

  
They both arrived (it was like a couples issue thing? Nino didn't really know) around fifteen minutes before the session was about to start, so they checked in with a frazzled receptionist, who waved them to the full seating area.

  
“Do people not know how to wait until closer to their appointment to come here?” Alya leaned in so she could whisper in Nino's ear, standing by him awkwardly in the middle of the area. 

They didn't have to wait as long as they thought, because one of Venk's patients stormed out early, yelling about war and being a teensy bit racist.

  
Venk sent them a polite, professional smile, obviously already done with life, “Ah, Alya, and your...partner, I presume?”

  
Alya grinned as they all stepped into the office, sitting down immediately, “Yes, this is Nino, my boyfriend.”

  
“Excellent. Now, which one of you two want to tell me why you're here?” Alya was on the edge of her seat at that point, and Nino would swear that her hair fluffed up, reminding him of a territorial fox, what with her hair being ombre towards the tips.

  
“It's Marinette, doctor, I'm really worried and I was wondering if she mentioned anything about a guy named Alex?” Venk was visibly startled by her words, her forehead creasing in question.

  
“You booked an appointment with me, a busy doctor, to talk about your friend?”  
Nino shot the doctor a pleading stare, subtly gesturing to the ever oblivious Alya.

  
Now, the doctor was obviously amazing at the whole mind trick reading thing, and she nodded once.

  
“Alya, why don't we talk alone, and Nino can wait for you, alright?”

  
Alya wasn't fazed by the doctors words, agreeing almost instantly, as she burst into a long winded rant about Marinette, and Alex, and a lot of what Marinette went through during previous years, justifying her reasons. Nino left, telling Alya to text him when she wanted to be picked up, seeking junk food while he waited.

“So, Alya, Alex, you said? This wouldn't happen to be Alex Menteur, would it?” Alya fidgeted from where she sat, wishing that she had made Nino stay, so she wouldn't feel the intense almost pressure like feeling she got.

  
“Um, I don't know? Brown hair, bluish eyes?” Venk looked at her, considering, Alya nearly sweating in the uncomfortable silence.

  
“Sounds like the Alex I know. You mentioned Marinette?” Venk leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees as she waited for Alya to answer.

  
“Yeah, Alex, Marinette just disappeared with him, and didn't even tell anyone, and no one knows who he is!” Alya's voice raised slightly, causing the overworked doctor to flinch, rubbing her temples. 

  
“Have you met, Mr. Menteur?” 

  
“Yeah.”

  
“What happened, when you met?”

  
“I just told Marinette that I didn't want her to be near him, ‘cos he might be dangerous. We kinda had a fight, and Menteur dragged her off to God knows where.”

  
“I see...”

  
The questions continued in a similar fashion for a while, though more personal matters were delved into. Of course, Alya was reluctant, but was eager to share with the doctor overall. 

  
“Alya, though I can understand your reasoning, I feel like you attempting to control Marinette's life is not the best way to go about helping her,” the tired blonde shuffled her notes around, looking over the information she had gathered throughout the session, “is this for Marinette? Or is this all for you?”

* * *

Adrien and Marinette's rant and secret sharing session was long over, the pair sharing popcorn as they talked about some of the shows on Netflix they had in common.  
“I totally binged Stranger Things last night, I'm not gonna lie,” Adrien offered Marinette the bowl absentmindedly, feeling more relaxed then he had in forever.

  
“I prefer Pretty Little Liars, to be honest,” Marinette took some popcorn, chewing on it slowly, before standing up, stretching, “I might as well be going home now,” she yawned.

  
“Mkay,” Adrien replied, offering her an air high five, “I'll text you later.” Marinette waved, stealing some more popcorn on her way out.

  
Adrien settled down on his rather comfortable couch, and closed his eyes.  
A nap sounded great, right about now.

Nino finally got a text from Alya, and it was awful timing because he had only just been able to order a burger, which meant he had to get it to go.

  
Burgers always taste better when you sit down and enjoy them, not drive with one hand to a medical facility so you can stuff your face in the two seconds it'll stay hot for.  


Nino was very passionate about burgers.

  
Anyways, while Nino did the aforementioned action, he plotted out what he was going to say, and thought about how it may have gone, before giving up and deciding to wing it.

  
He soon pulled into the parking lot, where Alya was waiting, looking far more downtrodden and subdued than when she went in. He barely stepped out of the car before she crushed him in a massive bear hug.

  
“I'm not a bad person,” she spoke softly, morose, as she hugged him tighter still, even as her composure cracked.

  
“I never thought you were,” he pushed a kiss to her forehead, wiping the tears that had gathered under her glasses, “you're just a little confused, is all.”

  
“I still don't trust Alex. And after what happened with Mari, I just don't kno-" Nino kissed her, pulling her into another embrace.  


“You don't need to trust him right away. Just trust that sometimes, fate will work out in whatever way, and we just need to support everyone we can.”

  
Alya nodded. She needed to think a little more; years of thinking couldn't be wiped away in just one session, but they could be questioned and changed, ever so slightly.

  
If one wished it, of course.

  
Hopefully, everything would change for the better now.

  
Nino opened the car door for Alya, smiling softly. He loved her, and though how she had been acting was wrong, it was partially the fault of those around her for encouraging it and not helping her.

  
“Nino?”

  
“Yeah, babe?”

  
“Can you talk to Alex for me? Just see if he's legit and apologise? Please?”

  
Nino didn't want to upset or offend Marinette's new friend (that he recognised from somewhere, he was sure of it), but it was an innocent enough request from his girlfriend, so he could at least try.

  
“I'll ask Marinette, and see what she thinks,”

  
“Thanks, sweetie.”

  
“It's alright, hon.”

  
They drove the rest of the way in a comfortable and easy silence, content.  
Nino messaged Marinette, asking for Alex's hotel, so they could get to know each other, bro to bro. 

  
**From: Nino L**

  
**hey mari can i get alexs hotel address so we can hang out for some bro time**

  
_yeah sure :) im just on my way home now, ill call you when i get there so i dont waste data x_  
****

**sounds good mari ttyl**

  
Sure enough, Marinette called, the ever loyal munchkin she was. Nino jotted down the address, deciding to do one healthy thing during the day and walk. It was a lovely day, and it mirrored Nino's sunny mood, meeting up with an acquaintance, his girlfriend thinking about everything calmly, it was all great.

  
Marinette was also going to text Alex so he wasn't caught by surprise when Nino showed up, so Nino wasn't going to have to awkwardly invite himself in, because he'd be expected.

  
Marinette was a genius, he would have never thought of it by himself. He probably would've shown up and been punched or something for trying to get into the wrong room.

  
Hmph. As if that had ever happened before.

Across the room, where Adrien had tossed his jacket after mistakenly sprinting in it, the phone in it's pocket buzzed, not disturbing the napping young adult.

  
Adrien was awakened by a knock on his door, accidentally falling from the sofa as he shot up.

  
“Coming!” Adrien's eyes hurt like hell, his contacts irritating the hell out of his rather sensitive eyes, especially because he slept in them.

  
A quick look in the mirror helped fix some of the more noticeable errors in his appearance before he rushed to get his door, his sleepiness combatting the shock he felt at seeing Nino at his doorstep.

  
“Um, hi! Come in!” Adrien almost squeaked, having not really interacted with Nino while he had been in Paris.

  
“Hey! Marinette texted you about me coming over, right?”

  
Adrien's smile froze as his hands patted at his jeans for his phone, “uh...yeah! Of course!”

  
Nino laughed, and the mood lightened a little, as he offered Adrien a fist bump.  
“I'm just here to apologise for Alya, and maybe watch a show or something?”  
Adrien hesitated, and maybe his disbelief was obvious, because Nino leaned in, “don't worry, mate, a friend of Mari is a friend of mine, I genuinely want to hang out with you.”

  
Adrien smiled, “why don't you pick the show, and I'll make us some popcorn, okay?”

  
Nino grinned at him, already snatching up the tiny remote as he shooed Adrien away. “I hope you're prepared to watch the most iconic movie of all time!”

  
Adrien only laughed in response.

  
The strange girl had only just started talking about how great getting punched in the face by Regina George was, when the urge to wash his eyes out struck Adrien like a bus.  
“Mate, I'm just gonna go to the bathroom real quick, I'll be right back, mkay?” Adrien rubbed at his eyes, blinking back the instinctive tears attempting to wash out the irritant.

  
Nino watched him concernedly, “bro, you don't look too good, are you okay?”

  
Adrien just nodded as he stumbled towards the bathroom. As soon as he was in, he peeled the first contact from his eye, tripping himself over in the process.

  
“Oh my gosh, are you alright?” Nino called through the door, worried, but not wanting to invade the other's privacy.

  
Adrien kicked over a bin, which, to be fair, was in the most awkward place ever, causing Nino to go ‘fuck it' and come in anyways.  
Nino was met with the sight of Alex with one reddish, luminous green eye, the other being a cold, icy colour.

  
“...I've always hated my eye colour?” 

Nino was unimpressed, and honestly shocked as he keeled over, fainting in the bathroom doorway.

  
He woke up a minute later, Alex hovering over him like a worried mother.  


“Look, Nino, whatever you think, it's not that.”

  
Nino had one typically successful way of getting people to confess to things, a skill that he almost instinctively used, “In collège, my best friend Adrien was gay for Chat Noir!”

  
“Excuse me, I was no-" Alex-Adrien slapped his hand over his mouth as though he was attempting to physically stop himself from saying what he had already.

  
“Oh my fucking god.” Nino murmured before fainting again.

  
“Shit!” Adrien cursed.

After Nino had woken up again, he had some questions.

  
“Why?” Nino's stare burned through him, causing him to shift guiltily.

  
“...you know what my father did.”

  
Nino scoffed, his disbelief evident, “you didn't do that, Adrien. We wouldn't have cared about what he did.”

  
“I don't want to be connected to him. He's no longer apart of my name, or who I am anymore.”

  
Nino laughed, verging on hysterical, “are you kidding? Adrien Agreste pushed to go to school, was an amazing, kind friend who'd ditch his bodyguard to hang out. That's who you are. Not a personality you made because Gabriel fucked you up that much.”

  
Adrien stayed silent, Mean Girls still playing in the background.

  
“Man, is it good to see you though, buddy,” Nino's eyes were watery as he hugged Adrien, patting him on the back.

  
“I don't want to get overly involved, and I'm gonna need some time to process. But, Adrien?” Nino stood up, still hugging Adrien, “don't be Alex. Be Adrien, figure out who you were and go from there. I won't tell your secret, but I won't be friends with a lie.”

  
Adrien just nodded again, letting go of Nino.  
Nino was obviously still in shock, but he managed to offer Adrien some parting words, “tell the girls soon, at least, or it'll bite you in the ass later.”

  
Nino closed the door firmly, and Adrien fumbled for his satchel, pulling out the deep purple box with trembling fingers.

* * *

Marinette was crying, scratches up and down her arms as she sat in a ruined wardrobe, having ripped everything from where it was hanging in her panic to find her safe, to find Tikki.

  
Downstairs, a sticky note was stuck to the fridge, message clear.

  
**Dear Mari**

  
**Just needed to borrow safe for a while**

  
**Come by soon**

  
**Love**

  
**Alya**

  
**xoxo**  


  



	8. Hurting.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He didn't even acknowledge Plagg as he transformed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUESTIONS:
> 
> do you like this story? i feel like not many people do.
> 
> should i redo the first few chapters?
> 
> any fandoms or prompts or anything you'd like to read?
> 
> TW: anxiety attack.

Adrien was still fiddling with his ring box hours later, switching it between his hands, twirling it between his fingers.

  
He understood what Nino had meant before, about being himself. And while Nino may not know it, the Adrien back then was Chat Noir. A hero, who slung puns, saved people and was hopelessly in love. Or, maybe Nino did know. As Adrien had discovered, Nino was insanely smart and probably worked it out and stayed silent.

  
The box wasn't dusty at all, he had so often played with it, despite the red hot angry emotions Plagg gave off from the ring. It was cool now, as if Plagg knew he was in thought and didn't want him to be distracted.

  
Even when he had played with it in the past, he never dared open the box, afraid of temptation. It had been a long time.  
The box gave no resistance as he cracked it open, examining the ring in perfect condition. He knew what he wanted, he knew he should have stayed and not given up on it all.

  
In the moment, he could only feel a sense of right, gleaming silver staring back up at him fingers quivering in anticipation (fear) as he picked it up.

  
It felt cool and dead to his touch.  
He held it.

  
It was nice, to feel the familiar bumps and grooves as he held it to his forehead. He sighed, deep and loud. His eyes flickered shut.

  
He was so tired.

  
He slipped his ring to his pocket, dropping the box to go look in the bathroom mirror.  
It was something he didn't do often, not recognising or liking the person who always stared back at him. He may not have been his happiest as Adrien Agreste, but damn was it better than constantly living a lie to his friends. To be just another result of Hawkmoths. It was Nino saying so that put things in perspective, and all he could feel was disgusted in what he had become.

Where was the strong, brave, witty, loving, selfless person he once was?

  
Modesty was still not one of his best traits.

  
He did suppose that maybe the old version of him had died. Maybe of loneliness, maybe alone.

  
Adrien needed to think, even more than his frankly disturbed mind had. And he needed someone to talk to.

 

**Calling Marinette:**

 

_**“Hey, its Marinette, leave me a message and I'll get back when I can!”** _

 

  
**Calling Marinette:**

 

_**“Hey, it's Marinette, leave me a message and I'll get back when I can!”** _

 

 

**From: Alex M**

 

**hey mari**

 

**you may not see this for a while**

 

**cos its shit o clock early**

 

**but i need to tell you something important**

 

**just come over when you can**

 

**love you**

 

It was his fingers that typed out the words, sending it before he could even process the words.

  
He couldn’t bring himself to take it back.  
Fuck, it was Ladybug all over again, wasn't it?

  
Tripping his way into her life, and her helping him fight a war and allowing him to be himself or stupid or whatever even in the worst situations. Having his back when her bloody friends lost themselves to rage, being strong and beautiful even in her moments of weakness.

  
It was just his luck to come back for a funeral, and fall for someone instead.  
He'd only known her a few days, but it took seconds with Ladybug. That love lasted him through everything, and he couldn't help but feel that Marinette would last him through a lot more.

  
He looked at himself for just a little longer, peeling the remaining contact away. Diving for his bag, he looked at the instructions and directions on his temporary dye boxes and decided he could at least try being Adrien.

  
Just once more.

  
Even with his eyes red and puffy, with his hair tangled and his clothes dishevelled – with his ring in his pocket and a plan in mind, he felt amazing.

* * *

 

It was early in the morning when Marinette found the note.

  
Her house was in shambles by that stage, her being uncaring as she pulled things from the walls, pushed things from counters in her rage.

  
In her fear and guilt.

  
She needed her pills, she couldn't fucking breathe, she needed her fucking pills.

  
She found the bottle, her entire body shaking as she poured the entirety of the contents into her hand. Most slipped to the floor, but she swallowed the large amount still in her sweating, shaking palm. She didn't even pour a glass of water, taking them all down dry.

  
Marinette needed Tikki.

  
She dropped the bottle as she rushed for the bathroom. Her anxiety did nothing for her as she heaved into the toilet.

  
She couldn't find her breath as she puked the contents of her stomach into the toilet, a trembling, sobbing, heaving mess.

  
She threw up until she couldn't anymore, pressing her forehead to cool porcelain as she tried to think.

  
When she got Tikki back, she was never going to give her up again, she couldn't deal with the pain she was feeling.

  
This was all her fault.

  
Her head hurt and her stomach hurt and her throat hurt and she couldn't even cry anymore.

  
She stood up slowly, numbness creeping up on her, filling her veins with ice as she methodically dabbed at her face with a washcloth. She slowly searched for her phone but she couldn't remember what she had done with it, and decided it wasn't worth it in the grand scheme of things.

  
What mattered was Tikki.

  
Alya may have been a good superhero when they were children, but the new Alya was mean and controlling and judgemental, all the goddamn time. If she found out that Marinette had been lying to her and keeping secrets, she would flip her shit.

  
And Marinette would get yelled at and interrogated again.

Marinette managed to make it to the stairs before she collapsed in a heap, pale and cold.

* * *

 

  
Alya felt so indescribably guilty as she glanced at the safe she was holding.  
Doctor Venk did teach her some meditation techniques, and had firmly rebuked her for betraying Marinette's trust. So it was with a much clearer head that she thought over everything.

  
On one hand, she didn't want to get in trouble with Marinette, but on the other hand, it really was the right thing to do.  
If Nino noticed her acting odd (they were both still up, even though it was like three am), he didn't say anything.

  
“Come to bed, babe. Think when it's reasonable to,” Nino finally grumped, pulling Alya to their bed. She relented with a small smile, cuddling him until she could finally fall asleep, happy and healthy with the man she loved.

  
“I love you,” Alya whispered before closing her eyes for good, only holding him tighter when he responded in kind.

  
There was nowhere else she'd rather be.  
She could just deal with it when the sun was up and Marinette was awake.

* * *

 

 

**From: Alex M**

**marinette**

**are you awake**

**it's nearly 11am**

**did i upset you yesterday somehow**

**im sorry if i scared you off**

**message me back**

  
**From: Alex M**

 

**its 3 and i just wanted to apologise**

 

**you dont have to message back**

 

**i get that i probably moved too fast and upset you**

 

**that's on me**

 

**bye**

 

  
**From: Alex M**

 

**The funeral is tmrrw so ill be leaving soon**

 

**I think you blocked me**

 

**You havent replied to my calls or anything**

 

**And ik youre letting them ring out**

 

**sorry**

 

It had taken Adrien a few hours to get rid of the temporary dye he used, and a few helpful DIY videos. He glanced at his phone, despairing the fact that Marinette apparently wasn't in the mood to talk.

  
She probably didn't even read most his messages.

  
He felt the overwhelming urge to do what he did when he was younger and upset; transform and jump out a window.  
He always loved leaping across buildings and searching for any potential victims, helping out the occasional tourist or lost child.

His ring emanated warmth, as though it could read his thoughts and was encouraging him to _please, put it back on where it belongs._

  
He didn't.

  
He wanted to, but it almost felt like it would be going against everything he was to just give up on what he had practised for so long.

  
He truly did not deserve the black cat miraculous. But he was scared of other people taking it. He was a bloody mess when it came to the magic shit.

He perked up as his phone started ringing, not even checking caller ID as he picked up, “Marinette?”

  
“No, mate, listen please, you have to...you have to come to the hospital, oh my go-" it was Nino on the other end, scared and helpless as he tripped over his words as though in pain.

  
“Nino, what happened?” Adrien was concerned, all thoughts of Marinette pushed from his mind.

  
Until he heard what Nino had to say next.  
“Adrien, it's Marinette, she's – oh my god - we're at the hospital, something happened last night, I'm freaking out, and Alya's shaking and terrified oh my god...”

Adrien's heart stopped beating. Fuck, he was thinking Marinette was intimidated by his advances, despite knowing how tenacious she really was, and she was what?

Dying? Hurt?

  
He felt sick.

  
His phone fell to the floor as he pulled his ring out, not even hesitating as he said the words that made him transform.

  
“Plagg, claws out!”

  
He had a princess to save.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not a lotta dialogue, this is mostly a filler tbh.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE NEARING THE END GUYS
> 
> Because of this, now is the time for you to tell me what you want to read, and reccomend your favourite fandoms!
> 
> lowkey want fanart for this chappie because feels

His outfit was different, he noticed from his reflection as he ran along stores and house, skipping buildings to the awe of the citizens watching him. His eyes burned and he wiped angrily at them as he landed in a crouch on the top of a hospital.

  
He took a deep breath, attempting to sniff out Marinette amongst the cleaners and other patients. He cursed when she wasn't there, scrambling away to find another.  
He tried hospitals and clinics alike, in case Nino was exaggerating or she had been moved. He should have brought his phone, he didn't know the number to use his baton.  
He landed on the roof of a small hospital, maybe ten minutes away from the bakery. He inhaled roughly, eyes narrowing as he picked out her smell.

  
She normally smelt like vanilla and flowers and cookies and home. He had to swallow his bile as he took in her scent.

  
She smelt like medicine. Sickness. Fear.

  
Death.

  
He couldn't breathe as his sense were battered, because he was zeroed in on her he could hear the weakening heartbeat, her rattled breaths.

  
He wanted to cry.

  
But Mari needed his help, so he opened a sun roof and dropped on down, scaring a cop and two nurses nearly to death.

  
“C-chat Noir?” one of the nurses stuttered, as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

  
Chat didn't waste time on niceties as he nodded sharply, cracking his fingers as he asked, “Marinette. Dupain – Cheng. I need her room number."

  
The nurses nodded, running to ask the staff at the desk, whispering furiously when questioned. Finally, the male nurse from before was able to get back quickly, and guided him to the room, not sticking around once they arrived.

  
Adrien took a deep breath, and he could only smell her as everything about her invaded his senses. He pushed the door open and came face to face with Alya and Nino.

  
With Marinette on the bed, looking frail and sickly.

  
“Chat? Noir? What? I mean, Chat, what, Mari-!” Alya was shocked to her core and Adrien couldn't bring himself to care as he stalked closer.

  
A clawed hand stroked a clammy cheek, pushing away loose hair. Alya sputtered and Nino...Nino just watched, as though the scene were a completed puzzle.

  
“Oh my god...Adrien?” Nino reached out, laying a hand on Chat's shoulder to give him some sense of comfort.

  
Adrien just nodded, wiping sweat from Marinette's brow. He heard Alya inhale sharply, staggering to an uncomfortable looking plastic chair. She didn't speak, she just sat silently, lost in thought.

  
“What happened?” Adrien's voice was hoarse as he tried to keep back the tears at seeing his princess as she was.

  
“We don't know why, but Mari...she flipped. Her house is trashed, Alya found her this morning. She nearly died, from overdose.” Nino tried to keep up his calm facade, but failed as he took in his two broken friends.

  
“Nino..Nino, why aren't you freaking out? Who...Adrien? How? Please, I don't understand...” Alya spoke finally, breaking through the relative silence of the room as she looked at them wearily.

  
“Alya, maybe we should leave and come back later,” Nino didn't want to upset his girlfriend after what must have been one shock closer to having her freak out.  
“No! I won't fucking leave until you fucking tell me what's happening!” Alya stood abruptly, pacing as she screamed at them.

  
“Babe, remember what Doctor Venk said about the meditation stuff?” Nino backed up, Adrien by his side watching over Marinette.

  
“Fuck Venk! This has been the most shit week of my life, I want some fucking answers!” Alya pushed at Nino's chest, drawing the attention of a doctor outside.

  
“Hey now, if you have a problem take it outside! This kind of damaging behaviour will cause the patient more distress!” The doctor strode in, not batting an eye at the strange trio standing there, ready to call security if he needed to.

  
“Argh!” Alya screeched in frustration, and Adrien's forehead creased as Marinette's breathing started to quicken.

  
“Call Marinette's doctor here!” Alya demanded, eyes glinting with cold steel. The man in the room hesitated before doing as she requested, and they waited in tense silence for the woman to arrive.

  
It took a while, but she arrived and was quickly pulled aside by the male doctor who explained why he was there.

  
“Why, exactly, are you causing disruption in a room where my patient with severe anxiety is? She should be waking soon, and it shouldn't be to an immediate trigger!” Marinette’s doctor stared them all down, her words coloured by a strong accent.

  
They had nothing to say, though Adrien was concerned.

  
“I just-!” Alya was ready to argue, but she was cut off my Marinette's screaming.

* * *

 

Everything hurt.

  
Her eyes, her head, her stomach, her heart, every part of her ached and burned. Salty tears slipped down her cheeks as she tried to control her breathing, but she couldn't help but hiss as she involuntarily shifted where she was.

  
Her head was murky, but she could hear snippets of an overbearingly loud conversation and the sensation of someone touching her head.

  
Didn't they know she was hurt?!

  
Even the light touch was painful, hypersensitive as she was.

  
Marinette tried to open her eyes but they were so heavy and she was so tired. She just wanted to sleep.

  
She just wanted to forget about Alya and Alex and Tikki...

  
Wait.

  
Alya?

  
Tikki?

  
Oh no.

  
_Oh no._

  
Marinette forced herself up so quickly, her eyes opening in her panic, and she couldn't breathe as she looked into bright green cat eyes.

  
She was scared and shocked and hurt and she did what she could.

  
She screamed, and struggled away from what had to be a hallucination, or an awful trick, hurting herself even more as she thrashed away.

  
“Marinette!” Three people cried out in unison, rushing towards her as the doctor cursed and called for some nurses.  
Marinette fliched, panicked blue eyes locking with Alya's for a just a second before she lunged.

  
“Please, give her back, give her back, I need her fucking back,” Marinette sobbed clinging to Alya's shirt, “why would you take her, why would you do that to me?”

  
Both girls were crying by then, focused only on each other.

  
Alya stepped back, turning away to collapse in the corridor outside with Marinette sobbing and screaming after her.  
“Where are those bloody nurses?” The doctor tried to talk to some orderlies, who had to rush off to tend to a patient in the emergency room.

  
She sighed, and looked into the room with Marinette.

  
“I have to go and find the nurses and the sedative,” she spoke softly to Alya, who was mostly just in shock, “just make sure she doesn't leave, okay?”

  
Alya nodded numbly, standing up slowly and standing near the door.

“Marinette!” Chat's voice broke through as his claws wrapped around her thin arms, forcing her to stop fighting him, “listen to me!” Marinette calmed down marginally though her eyes were still unfocused as she stared through his soul.

  
He breathed a little easier at her quieting down, looking into his eyes as she raised a shaking hand with a dislodged IV hangjng from it to touch his face.

  
She pulled him close as though she was drowning and he was her lifeline. She panted into the leather of his suit, pulling at his slightly lower collar so she could reach his ears from her position on the bed.

  
“I though you were gone, I thought you left me, I...” She was obviously distressed, and Adrien shushed her calmly as he rocked her.

  
“You're okay, we're just at the hospital, trust me,” He pulled her closer, carefully encasing her arms and legs to prevent her from hurting herself if she lashed out again.

  
“I can't, you're not even real!” She cried, “can you help me get her back? Please?” Marinette wrenched the tubes in her arm out, and would have fallen from the bed if not for Chat holding her.

  
“I am! I promise you, princess, I am!”   
Marinette hissed as he tightened his arms, the aches coming back in the absence of her adrenaline fueled madness.

  
“Are you alright, Mari?” He lay her down on the scratchy and uncomfortable bed, as she was too exhausted to argue.

  
“Yeah... it just hurts... hurts so goddamn bad, kitty...” The doctor rushed in with a needle and two young orderlies, stopping as she took in the admittedly strange scene.

  
“Go, wait in the corridor with the couple, if I call you in here, you come. Am I understood?” The dark skinned woman ordered the two accompanying her, who quickly scurried away.

  
“Marinette?” The doctors voice dripped with honey as she approached the bed, “is it alright if I give you the needle, darling?” Marinette frantically shook her head, trying to sit up to latch onto Chat, who was pushing her down gently.

  
“Alright, Marinette, you don't have to. Do you want some water?” Marinette nodded at this, seemingly incapable of speaking to the practical stranger.

  
“Mari, I'm going to go talk to Alya and Nino outside, okay? I'll be right back.” Marinette tensed, shaking her head again, eyes watering.

  
“It'll just be a little while, doll.” He untangled himself from her, pushing aside the guilt he felt for abandoning the trembling girl in in order to chastise Alya.

  
“Alya, what the actual fuck happened in there?” Alya just shook her head, in shock just like Marinette, flinching when Chat snapped his fingers in her face.

  
“I dunno!” Alya sobbed, breaking down again, “She said I stole someone! I... I didn't!” Her eyes flickered to the ground and back again, setting off warning bells in Adrien's mind.

  
“Okay, you didn't steal someone. What did you steal, because I have a strong feeling you're the reason she's like this, now.” Chat's eyes hardened as Alya folded in on herself, mumbling unintelligibly, “What was that, Alya?”

  
Alya cleared her throat and avoided looking him in the eyes as she answered, “... It was just a safe. I was just going to borrow it, and I was going to put it back and that's how I found her!”

  
Adrien couldn't believe what he was hearing.

  
What kind of friend would even think of doing such a thing?

  
It was horrible.

  
“Go get it.”

  
Alya looked up, confused, “what?”

  
Chat sighed, “the safe. Get it, because Marinette really needs it if she wants to calm down.” When she didn't move right away, he snarled at her, scaring her off to Nino's dismay. Nino was awfully conflicted as she ran towards the parking lot, knowing she kind of deserved the treatment she was receiving, but wanting to help anyways.   
Adrien watched her leave with a scowl on his face, before noticing Nino's expression, “what? You saw Marinette, look what she did!”

  
“I'm not saying she's right, but she's going through some shit as well. I think we all need to calm down.” Nino offered a fistbump, one Adrien accepted after a moment of hesitation.

 

They waited outside the door for fifteen minutes, saying nothing.

  
Alya, to the displeasure of those around her, ran towards them clutching a small, plain safe. “I'm back! I'm back,”

  
She pulled away when Chat made out to take the box away, shaking her head when he asked for it back.

  
“Alya, give it.” Adrien frowned at her, not amused.

  
“No! It's my mess, I'll fix it!” Alya barged past them, startling Marinette who was sipping water in her bed. Marinette flushed, eyes quickly beginning to water as she tried to move away.

  
“Go away...” Marinette whispered, looking into the Styrofoam cup.

  
“No! Mari, I'm so sorry, and I'll understand if you hate me, forever. But here's your safe back, anyways,” Alya carefully placed the safe in Marinette's lap, walking out of the room once she had done so.

  
Once she was out, Chat slipped in, watching as Marinette fiddled with the combination. He was about to ask if she wanted any help, when the lock popped off and she was pulling something from inside.

  
His heart stopped.

  
In her hands, she was cradling a velvet jewellery box.

  
One with markings on the front.

  
No.

  
_No._

  
She couldn’t be!

  
But she didn't say anything in her defence when she realised his presence, looking directly at him.

 

  
“I'm so, so sorry, Chaton,”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me what you thought, i love hearing from you guys!


	10. An Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the sun shone just a little bit brighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it guys! Please, check out some of the other stuff I'll be working on, and let me know what you thought of everything.

He watched, dumbfounded. Her face was scrunching up in pain as she stabbed the blunt end of her earring through healed skin, drawing blood. He couldn't believe it.

 

  
All this time?

 

  
It was an illusion. A trick.

 

  
There was no way in hell that Marinette had been his Ladybug. Was his Ladybug. He couldn't have fallen for the same girl twice. All of their encounters flashed through his mind, spanning from his childhood to just a few moments ago.

 

  
_“Her name's Marinette. Cute, isn't she?”_

 

  
_“”He went missing,"_

 

  
_“I have a...top secret mission,”_

 

  
The memories kept coming and he couldn't process. He couldn't even speak as she quickly put the other one in, whining softly. A bright red light glowed as she murmured the damning words.

 

  
“Tikki, Spots On,” the flash hurt his eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to blink as her transformation changed her into someone he could recognise, if only from his nightmares.

 

  
Her outfit had changed, just like his, Chat observed numbly, the reds slightly darker, the black splitting her costume into seperate parts. Much like the joints of a beetle. Her fringe covered her spotted domino mask, deep blue eyes filling with tears as she stared at her black gloves.

 

  
He could appreciate her matured catsuit, in the right time and place, but she still looked fragile and scared. It helped him connect her to his Princess, and it sealed the deal. He strode forward, feet moving all by themselves as he fell to his knees before her bed.

 

  
“My Marinette?” He reached up, looking not unlike a child begging for a hug, even as she cried harder at the sight of him.

 

  
“Go away,” She breathed, “You can't be real.” He cupped her face, luminous green eyes staring into sky blue ones.

 

  
“I am. Remember before? We were calm, and happy? I proved I was real, right?” He gave her the chance to move away, but she remained still and silent as she thought.

 

  
“Why did you do it?” Her mask was glistening from the tears slowly dripping down her nose. Adrien’s heart broke as he saw the woman he loved shattered as he had never seen her before.

 

  
The pain he saw was beyond panic attacks and yelling. It was sheer hurt and betrayal and he could tell it was worse.

 

  
At least the panic attacks were an instinct; a reaction. He could see the cogs turning in her mind as she tried to figure out what she had done. What she had done for him to leave her.

 

  
Adrien was no stranger to dark and negative emotions, but he felt truly disgusting as his Lady trembled in his grasp.

 

  
“I told you before. And I was so wrong, My Lady, to leave you, “ The ground was hard and cold on his knees, but it was no more than he deserved, “And I promise, I'll never leave you again.”

 

  
“But you promised before! That you would always be there, and you lied!” She pushed his hands away as she wiped roughly at her eyes, pushing her hair away.

 

  
“I know, and I will hate myself forever because of it,” Adrien was devastatingly solemn as he spoke those words, only softening to ask her a question, “Why did you apologise, Mari?”

 

  
She sniffed, grabbing her yoyo and pressing it against her chest as though attempting to protect herself from an enemy that no longer existed.

 

  
“You wanted us to tell and be honest, and if I had none of this would have happened!” She gestured wildly, nearly throwing her weapon into a monitor as she did.

 

  
“No.”

 

  
She looked at the blonde with a confused and somewhat startled expression at his blunt answer.

 

  
“What?”

 

  
“It's not your fault, you can't honestly think that, right?” How could she believe that?

 

  
“But-"

 

  
“Marinette,” Adrien began, “I was wrong. We were kids, and we were both manipulated so many times that sharing our identities could've had catastrophic consequences! I was selfish. That's all.”

 

  
Marinette was seemingly frozen, yet again. She was dealing with so much in such a short amount of time, and Adrien was so proud of her.

 

  
“Okay?” He prompted her gently, grinning when she nodded in agreement. However hesitant she was, it was progress and she was being logical and coherent which was more than he could have ever expected.

 

  
“Okay,” Her smile was watery but it was so very sincere, “I thought there would be more freaking out when we revealed ourselves, little kitten.” Her voice was teasing and it was easy to fall back on old behaviours.

 

  
“Believe me, Bugaboo, I will have a meltdown as soon as I can process everything,” He tacked on a flirty wink to end his sentence, causing her to laugh lightly.

 

  
“Me too. But it kinda makes sense to me, you know?”

 

  
Chat raised a brow underneath his mask, “Purrfectly, Mari. You were always so strong and brave and smart and beautiful, it's a wonder I never noticed it before!”

 

  
She blushed, hiding behind her hair which Chat helpfully pushed back behind her ears, “Marinette. You have the beauty of the moon, eyes stolen from the ocean. You have the strength of a warrior, and the compassion of a leader.” He stood, grabbing her hands with his and holding them tight, “You, Mari, My Lady, My Love, have the heart of a Hero.”

 

  
He kissed her hands, pulling his ring off, causing a very angry cat kwami to tumble out of it, and placed it in her hand.  
“Adrien...”

 

  
“Please, Mari. It was mine, and now it's yours. I swear on my Miraculous, I will never leave you.”

 

  
She smiled sadly, and slid the ring onto her left ring finger. “Forever and always, Mon Chaton,”

 

  
She pulled him closer and kissed him, causing him to flail his arms dramatically before embracing her. It was all teeth, tongue and fire as they tried to make up for lost time, passionate and desperate as if their partner would melt away if they stopped.

 

  
The pair only separated when Marinette's earrings started beeping prematurely, Tikki forcing her transformation to end.

 

  
“I cannot believe-!”

 

  
“Adrien, I am going to kill-!”

 

  
The two kwamis faced their charges, floating eerily close as they talked over each other in their scoldings.

 

  
Marinette and Adrien just cupped their respective kwamis and hugged them gently, Marinette kissing Tikki's forehead and Adrien stroking Plagg's.

 

  
“We'll talk about this later, kid,” Plagg managed, temporarily letting go of his anger so he could connect to his chosen.

 

  
“Now's not the time for being upset,” Tikki smiled tightly, only relaxing as Marinette apologised. “I understand. I've been locked away for longer, believe me.”

 

* * *

 

 

Shortly after their rushed and emotional reunion, Marinette spoke to the room that doctors had successfully avoided after being threatened lightly by Chat.

 

  
“You know, I never did like hospitals,” Marinette lounged against Adrien, perfectly content feeling warm and safe.

 

  
Adrien raised a brow, looking at her quizzically, but not asking where she was going with her out of the blue statement.

 

  
“I've always felt better jumping rooftops and saving people. What about you, kitten?” Marinette smiled innocently, and Adrien couldn't help but smile back.

 

  
“We can't leave, Mari, you do need to be here.” He reminded her.

 

  
“I'll always feel better with you here!” She raised herself slightly, petting a napping Tikki so as to wake her up calmly.

 

  
“And what if you get hurt, or have a panic attack?” Adrien looked her in the eyes. “I don't want to see you hurt.”

 

  
“We need this, Adrien.”

 

  
“I don't know...How will you get better if we jump straight out again?”

 

  
“Don't get me wrong, I'm scared.” She took a breath, “We'll do this together, darling.”

 

 

  
Alya called her. That way, Marinette would be able to delete her message.

 

  
She would be able to choose whether or not she wanted to talk.

 

 

 

**To: Marinette**

 

  
**“Mari...I'm so sorry, love. It means nothing, I know and I've been getting worse for a while, but I'm actually getting help now. I was a bad person and a poor excuse of a friend. Let me help you, even if that's just me staying away. I love you.”**

 

_**Message Sent.** _

 

 

Alya sighed tiredly, only to let out a startled gasp at the famous superhero duo at her window.

 

  
Alya could appreciate Chat's new look. _The_ longer hair combined with an even tighter (if that was possible) suit and lower neckline. Her heart was taken, but if it weren't she would be swooning.

 

  
Ladybug had her hair in twin buns, and her suit had more extreme changes. Said heroine grinned as she held up a dainty looking fox tail necklace.

 

  
“I reckon this will help you to, Rena,” Lady Luck slipped inside, her partner waiting patiently for them, “Ready to be a hero again?”

 

  
Alya took the necklace slowly, laughing tearfully as Trixx appeared like he used to so many years ago.

 

  
“Yeah.” Alya nodded enthusiastically, "I am."

 

 

  
Three heroes ran through Paris, leaving hope everywhere they stopped.

 

 

  
They weren't magically fixed and whole.

 

 

  
But they were better.

 

 

  
And the sun shone just a little brighter.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys honestly made me so happy with your encouragement and I'll be sad to see it ended now.
> 
> Hopefully you'll find me again in another story!

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comment babes


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